While there is a need and a time for studio portraits, given a choice I will always prefer to photograph families and children on location instead of in a studio. Maybe it is just me, or maybe I like being outside with a camera and people making memories.

As I am writing this at my desk I am looking at my favorite pictures of my daughter hanging along the wall. Of all the pictures of her, only one is from a studio setting, and I only like that one because of the story behind it.

The one picture from a studio setting is one of the first times my daughter was photographed by someone other than me. It is a picture of her being held by the Easter bunny, there is nothing special about the picture except the story behind the picture. She was about nine months old at the time, and my wife told me to take our daughter to get pictures done with the Easter bunny. So we went to the mall to find an Easter bunny we could get a picture with. When we found the Easter bunny, my daughter was terrified of the bunny. The photographer doing the pictures offered to let me borrow a spare bunny suit from the back room so we could do the picture without her crying. So the picture is of me in the bunny suit, and my daughter on my lap.

The picture next to it was taken about the same time, only this time it was taken in my garage. The reason this picture is special to me is that it reminds me of how she likes hanging out with me. It is a picture of her in her walker wearing PJ’s and earmuffs, drinking a bottle while she is watching me make shelves for the kitchen.

A little further down is a picture of my wife and daughter, from the day we went picking apples in a local orchard. They were playing, and running around the orchard chasing each other. The picture is of them hiding under a tree, still laughing while looking at me as I took the picture.

There is an empty spot on the wall that is waiting to be filled, but it will not be empty much longer thanks to the hiking trip we went on Sunday afternoon. It may have only been a two mile loop around the park, but it took close to five hours because we had to stop every couple hundred feet to look at something. What made it even more memorable was when my daughter asked if we could go home to get some food, then go hiking again.

My point is that the pictures that mean the most to me are ones that remind me of good times I have had with my family. I feel the pictures that I take for other people should remind them of something more than a trip to the local photography studio. That is why I prefer location photography, and try to leave the backdrops in a closet unless I am doing event photography or business portraits where they are appropriate.

Chris is a North Carolina Wedding Photographer that also specializes in location portraits.

Chris is a North Carolina wedding and portrait photographer. His work can be seen at http://chrisniemannphotography.com

Author Bio: Chris is a North Carolina Wedding Photographer that also specializes in location portraits.

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